Safety attachment for elevators.



J. C CLARK.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED 1330.15. 1913.

1,127,592. Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

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I'HE NORRIS PETERS C0 PHOTa-LlTHO.. IVASHING roN. D. C.

iii NTTED STATEd PATENT JAMES C. CLARK, OF LOUISVILLE, COLORADO.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR ELEVATORS.

Application filed December 15, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMns'G. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Boulder and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Attachments for Elevators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to a safety device for elevators, mine cages, or the like and more particularly to that class of safety devices which prevent the fall of theelevator when the cable breaks.

An object of my invention is to provide a safety device of the character set forth, which can be attached to any cage or ele vator without necessitating any change in the construction of the elevator or the shaft.

Another object of my invention is to pro-. vide a safety device for elevators which op erates through an independent cable and which is inexpensive in manufacturing and effective in operation.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel arrangement and construction of parts which will be hereinafter described and more specifically pointed out in the'appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an elevator and shaft, with the present invention applied thereto and in an inoperative position. Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of an elevator and shaft with the present invention ap plied thereto, the same having been thrown into operation. Fig. 3 is a fragmental detailed sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4C is a detailed perspective view of the sprag member forming a part of the V invention.

The like characters indicate like parts herein referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

The numeral 1 indicates the elevator of any ordinary construction, comprising uprights 2, brace members 8 and a top cross beam l slidable within the shaft 5. The upright members 2 are provided adjacent their ends with U-shaped guide members 6 which embrace the usual guide rails 7 provided on the shaft 5. The elevator 1 is operated within the shaft through the medium of the cable 8 which passes over the pulley 9 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Serial No. 806,877.

keyed to the shaft 10, which is transversely extended across the shaft and journaled through the bearings 11 at the top of the shaft 5. The hoisting cable 8 is connected to the eyed members 12 secured to the top ends of the uprights 2 by the chain 13. It is to be understood that the elevator might have any preferred connection with the hoisting cable 8.

Fach end of the. cross beam 4 is provided with a pair of longitudinal slots 1* in each end thereto which extends a considerable distance of the length of the cross beam. The space between the slots, as may be seen from Fig. 3, is greater than the width of the uprights 2. A substantially U shaped sprag member having spaced and parallel arms let connected by the cross member 15, at their upper ends and is pivotally mounted ad acent opposite ends of the cross beam 1.

The spaced arms of each sprag member are.

disposed through the spaced slots of each end of the cross beam and are pivotally mounted upon the shafts 17 through the openings 18 provided in an intermediate portion of said arm 14-. The shafts 17 are secured upon the cross beam by the fastening members 19. The free ends of said arms are formed to curve outwardly from the elevator and are provided with the pointed ends 16 adapted to engage the side walls of the shafts 5 when the safety device is thrown into operation. The cross members 15 of each of the sprag members 14 are provided with a perforation 20 which receive one end of the spring 21 normally tending to draw the cross members 15 together whereby the pointed ends of the arms 14 are brought into engagement with the sides of the shaft 5.

There has been provided to prevent the end 16 of the sprag members from engaging with the sides of the shaft, a latch member which consists of a housing having the links 23 pivoted at one end therein. The links are provided on their opposite ends with a notch 24: which is adapted to engage and interfit with the notches 25 in each of the cross members 15 of the sprag members.

The housing 22 is closed at its upper end which forms a bearing for the upper edge of the links 23, as can be seen from Fig. 1 of the drawing, when they are extended in a horizontal position to have their notched ends engaged with the notches 25 so as to hold the point 16 of the sprag members from the sides of the shaft 5, as can be clearly seen from Fig. 1. The housing 22 is, also, provided with an eye 26 in the center portion thereof which is engaged by a cable 27, which passes over the pulley 28 loosely mounted on the shaft 10 and which is adapted to pass over the pulley 28 as the elevator moves within the shaft.

An upstanding pin or lug 30 is provided upon the upper face of beam 4: and extends from the middle thereof and in alinement with the opposing notches 25 in the cross members 15 of the sprag members. This pin 30 is adapted to extend within the housing between the links when the links are extended in engagement with the sprag members and prevents any lateral movement of the housing toward one or the other end of the beam at which would, if there was sufficient of such movement, throw one of the sprag members into engagement with one side of the shaft. Through this construction the sprag members are kept equal distances from the sides of the shaft and the same are allowed to be simultaneously applied to opposite sides thereof.

In operation the links 23 of the latch member of the safety device are spread in a substantially horizontal position so that the notched outer ends will engage with the notches in the cross member 15 of the sprag member. The keeper 22 being pressed down so that the upper edge of the links will rest upon the inclined walls 29 thereof, the latch member will be held in position by the contractional tension of the spring 21. In case that the hoisting cable 8 should break or in any other manner become loose, the

weight of the elevator will be transmitted to the cable 27 and this pull exerted upon the cable 27 will raise the keeper 22 beyond the plane of the cross member 15 and the contractoral tension of the spring 21 will draw the upper ends of the sprag members together, thus ejecting the ends 16 of the same into the sides of the shaft 5. It is to be understood that no pull is to be applied to the cable 27 during the ordinary operation of the elevator in the shaft but only when some of the hoisting cables have become broken.

From the foregoing description, it is obvious that the present invention consists of few parts of a simple construction, which results in speedy action of the safety device. It will, also, be apparent that an elevator of greater weight will force the sprag members deeper into the sides of the elevator shaft, thus more firmly wedging the elevator therein.

Since the above describes the preferred construction of the invention, it is to be understood that changes may be made as to the construction and arrangement of parts that fall in the scope of the appending claims.

What I claim is: j

1. A safety device for elevators comprising sprag members pivoted adjacent the sides of the elevator, means for drawing the upper ends of said sprag members together,

a latch member comprising pivoted links adapted to loosely engage the upper ends of said sprag members for holding the same apart, and a cable connected with said latch member.

2. The combination with an elevator having cables for hoisting the same, of sprag members pivotally mounted upon opposite sides of the elevator, a housing, links pivoted in said housing-and adapted to be extended from opposite sides thereof and to iold said sprag members in an inoperative position, a cable connected with said housing and operating in unison with said first mentioned cable and adapted to unlatch said sprag members when said first mentioned cable breaks, and means for throwing said sprag members in an operative position.

3. A device of the character described to be used in connection with elevators having a cross beam, comprising substantially U-shaped sprag members mounted in said cross beam and pivotally secured adjacent the ends thereof, means for throwing said sprag members into operation, a housing, links pivoted in said housing and adapted to be extended from opposite ends thereof and having their free ends engage opposite sprag members for holding the sprag members in an inoperative position, and a cable connected with said housing.

f. The combination with an elevator having a cross beam being formed with a pair of spaced and longitudinal slots in each end thereof, of substantially U-shaped sprag members having the arms thereof extending through each pair of said slots and intermediately pivoted to said cross beam, the free ends of said sprag members being pointed and adapted to extend below said cross beam, a housing having its upper end closed, links pivoted within said housing and having their free ends notched, the upper end of each sprag member being provided with a notch, said links adapted to be extended horizontally in opposite directions and have their notched ends engage with the notches of said sprag members for bolding the sprag members in an inoperative position, a spring connected at the upper ends of said sprag members and adapted to hold the upper ends of the sprag members in engagement with said links when the links extend in a horizontal position and the lower ends thereof in engagement with the side walls of the elevator shaft when said upper ends are unlatched, and a cable to run in unison with the hoisting cable and connected with said housing. 1

5. A device of the character described ineluding an elevator having a cross beam comprising U-shaped sprag members having arcnated and parallel legs, said sprag members being pivoted to opposite ends of the cross beam of the elevator at an intermediate portion thereof and having their free ends directed downwardly, a keeper closed at its upper end, links pivoted within said keeper, and adapted to be extended horizontally in opposite directions from the housing, the free ends of said links being notched, the upper end of said sprag members being provided with notches and adapted to be engaged by the notched ends of said links, the upper inner wall of the housing being inclined from its opposite ends and forming a bearing for said links when the same are extended in horizontal position, a cable connecting the housing and adapted to draw said links out of engagement with said sprag members when Weight is applied thereto, and means for throwing said sprag members into operation.

6. A device of the character described comprising sprag members pivoted to oppo site sides of an elevator, means normally tending to throw the sprag members into engagement with the sides of the elevator shaft, the upper ends of said sprag members being notched, a housing, links pivoted at one end to opposite ends of the housing and having their free ends notched to engage and interfit with th notches of the sprag members, said links being adapted to be extended in horizontal position to hold said sprag members out of engagement with the elevator shaft, and a cable connected to the housing for drawing the links out of engagement with the sprag members.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES C. CLARK.

Witnesses:

Geo. W. LONGMORE, LOUIS T. F. STARK.

flopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

